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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · field · snap · present · spring · mouse · cabinet · bore

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. field — for sport
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. spring — of water
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bore — to drill
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — there
  12. present — a gift
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. snap — to click
  15. field — farmland
  16. spring — the season
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. field — a subject
  20. kid — to tease
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bore — to tire
  23. kid — child
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com